Some of Draymond Green’s actions in court make him appear as a bully. There are also instances where we have seen him get suspended. On a recap episode of The OGs podcast, Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem played an old clip where he talked about Green’s habit of getting into fights.
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UD said that Green is “out of pocket” for doing everything he is infamous for. However, he also sees a pattern in his actions that makes him believe that these are calculated moves from him.
He said, “I got a lot of respect for Draymond man but right now Draymond tripping… For me, people think he’s crazy. I think he’s smart because he knows who he’s f***ing with. He choked out [Rudy] Gobert, with [Jusuf] Nurkić… I mean, he’s f***ing up people he knows that really ain’t gon’ do nothing back… He’s smart crazy or he’s crazy smart. I mean, Jordan Poole, c’mon man.”
UD believes that as a veteran, Green should focus on guiding youngsters in the right direction, but he has been picking up fights with them. Draymond has faced several suspensions for his actions, most notable of which would be the five-game suspension for choking Rudy Gobert on the court and the 12-game suspension for hitting Jusuf Nurkić in the face.
The Heat legend stated that if he ever took a swing at Tyler Herro, he’d never be able to forgive himself. Haslem clarified that he respects Green, but also pointed out how the Warriors’ veteran needs to work on a few things. He further added,
“… Young guys around the league are looking at Draymond like, ‘Yo come on man we look up to you’…. I’m saying cuz he got it with Donovan Mitchell one of the nicest young guys in this league man… Right now Draymond picking and choosing who he f*****g with and he tripping and he know he out of pocket. Hopefully he’ll you know tighten that up…”
According to Haslem, a lot of the youngsters in the league might look up to Green for inspiration, but if he continues to do things like this, he will not only ruin his image in their eyes but will also become a bad example in the league.
“… It’s a double-edged sword cuz when you got a guy like Draymond, you got to let him run. You got to let them be a self… When you feed off that energy, you feed off that competitive nature so guys like that can fuel you… They can infuse your locker room…”
UD believes that the Warriors veteran should focus on embracing the role of a mentor to not only his teammates but also other aspiring youngsters.
Steve Kerr talked about the Draymond Green-Jordan Poole incident
In October 2022, the news about Green’s physical altercation with Poole came out. Soon it was revealed that during the training camp, the two were exchanging some words before the veteran punched Poole in the face. Even though there are several other instances of Green’s physical altercation with players, that was the one that hurt coach Steve Kerr the most.
During an appearance on the Dan Le Batard Show, Kerr said, “For sure, the Jordan Poole incident… He crossed the line with Jordan and he knows it. He knew it immediately, and it made that season incredibly difficult for everybody.” A player of his stature ruining the season for everyone else should’ve been his wake-up call, but Green is yet to learn his lesson.
